It all started when a baby was born shining brightly in a hospital room. The first Quirk. At the time, chaos ruled the world, as more and more people began to manifest their Quirks, and the line between "human" and "non-human" blurred. Though thanks to the efforts of people who chose to use their newfound powers to protect others and governmental guidance, the world of Quirks entered the Age of Superheroes.
However, even the world of Quirks was not prepared for what would come in the future.
"What are you doing? Let me go! Stop!"
Izuku's screams fell on deaf ears, as he was shoved into a glass box with strange green liquid. He struggled against the grasp of the scientists in the white hazmat suits, who chained him down and fixed a mask over his mouth. He looked around frantically, seeing others chained to metal bed frames struggling and screaming like him. As a white gas began to fill the box, he spotted three strange armored figures that were a distance away, observing him, waiting.
One was dressed in black with silver armor with pipes growing out of it, a yellow bat-shaped insignia resting on his chest, and the visor of its helmet matching it. The bat man was notable for being the only one in the tackiest chair that Izuku had ever seen (seriously, who gets a gold-leafed chair with velvet red cushions for a villain lab?). The second was dressed in red with gunmetal gray armor, its armor's pipes forming a muffler-like ring around its head. His insignia and helmet's visor were a green cobra instead. This cobra man was leaning against a pillar, as if this was just some sort of an everyday occurrence for him. And the third was dressed in gray, its black armor's pipes laying on its back like a jetpack, with a blue spanner forming its insignia and visor. The spanner man was just standing there, with his arms crossed, as if he waited for something. All three had strange, smokestack-like horns on the center of their foreheads.
They were talking, though Izuku couldn't hear them clearly. In the middle of their conversation, the bat man noticed that he was looking at them, and let out a haunting laugh that echoed throughout the room, as the box was filled to the brim with the gas. It was the last thing he could hear before losing consciousness.
Izuku Midoriya bolted up from his bed, in a heavy sweat. "That dream again," he thought, wiping his brow. It had been days since he had gone missing and was found by the police and Mustafu's Guardian robot forces. The worst thing is how he couldn't remember anything, so he couldn't give any useful information about what happened to him. All he had was that dream, of that bat man, that cobra man, and that... spanner man. And honestly that wasn't too much to go on, so he kept that to himself.
His parents were just relieved that he was found, and he was allowed some time away from school to recover from his kidnapping and dumping. Today is the last of that break, so he got up to eat breakfast before getting ready.
As he walked out of his room and into the kitchen, he took a good look out the window, and sighed, seeing the mysterious red glow undulating over the Skywall.
The Skywall.
It had been ten years since it appeared, growing out of Japan's soil instantly. Izuku remembers watching the footage. It was the only other thing he would watch as a child besides All Might's debut. It all began as a celebration of Japan being the first country in the world to not only launch the first manned space mission since the rise of Quirks put a stop to any attempts at space exploration, but it was the first manned voyage to Mars. And there, among other strange artifacts, they found an odd metallic box that they chose to call the Pandora Box. An apt name, for when one of the astronauts interrupted the ceremony to slam his hand against the Pandora Box's top, it caused the Skywalls to rise up, shining its red glow on all those attending. No one knew why that astronaut did what he done, but the damage was too late, even with the arrival of nearby pro heroes to help save the people that were there.
It split Japan into three; Touto (where Izuku and his mother lived, since his father is working overseas), formed from eastern Honshu whose government practices pacifism and preaches for Japan to reunite as one, with only enough military strength for self-defense (it was thanks to this stance that Touto was in charge of keeping the Pandora Box safe at the Touto Institute of Advanced Matter Physics, since no one was willing to let it go to I-Island for testing after what happened). Seito, formed from western Honshu and Shikoku and Kyushu, focuses on economic recovery to stabilize itself due to the disruption caused by the Skywalls' formation. And Hokuto, formed from northern Honshu and Hokkaido, focuses on social welfare, as the Skywalls' formation also rendered its farmland infertile, forcing them to focus on introducing bills and programs to help its people in a time of need, though there are many conspiracy theorists claiming that Hokuto is working on secret military programs in order to take control of the other two countries.
Some say that the Skywall Incident was the worst event next to the sudden appearance of Quirks, though many debate whether or not if it's true. There have been many calls for the three countries to reunite, even All Might himself stated that Japan needs to stand together. But not even the Symbol of Peace has managed to convince the Prime Ministers of Hokuto and Seito to do so. For some reason, neither of them were willing to let one or the other "take control" of their country (some claim that direct exposure to that light must've scrambled their brains, since Prime Minister Himuro, who hadn't been able to attend the ceremony, is the only one who's for reunification).
Izuku's mind didn't linger on this topic for too long, since by now the Skywall's presence had become simply an everyday thing for him. What really mattered right now was his kidnapping, and what happened to him during the time he went missing.
"What happened?" Izuku muttered, as he poured out cereal into a bowl. "Why can't I remember anything during my kidnapping? Did some sort of memory erasing Quirk get to me? Is it related to that dream? Or-"
Izuku muttered and muttered as he ate his cereal, trying to piece together what happened. All he remembered was leaving school after a long day of dealing with Bakugo and his friends' bullying, walking under the bridge on a route he rarely took, and then the next thing he knew, he's in some torn up clothes laying in some abandoned warehouse where they found him, miles away from school. For the most part, he couldn't really come up with a good motive for his kidnapping, since he was Quirkless, and came from a middle class household. Or was it precisely because of his Quirklessness was what caused them to kidnap him?
Whatever the answer is, it must have something to do with that dream, since it must be some sort of suppressed memory of some sort. If only he could get more information out of it. Then he could truly begin to investigate what happened. He looked at the clock, and realized that he needs to get going soon. Maybe going to that bridge after school again will give him some answers.
The morning commute isn't so bad this time around, since he got to watch some heroes take down a criminal, though Mt. Lady definitely took the spotlight away from Kamui Woods. But going to school immediately ruined his day. Class was also pretty uneventful, since Izuku kept quiet, and it seemed like his classmates, despite looking like they have a lot of questions, didn't want to approach him. Whether or not that was because they had sympathy for him being kidnapped or were freaked out that he's back, it wasn't clear.
"Hey, did you hear about the rumors?" one of his classmates said, during lunch. Izuku was in the back eating his lunch quietly, but he couldn't help but overhear what they were talking about.
"About what?"
"About the Kamen Rider!"
"You mean that weird vigilante? He's just an urban legend!"
"Nah man, my brother got a friend who's got a cousin whose boss's best friend's former classmate was saved by the Kamen Rider! He fought this guy who's Quirk went haywire and saved him!"
"I don't get it, what's so special about that?"
"Well, after he beat that guy up, he used this weird bottle thing, and it turned him back to normal!"
"Really? A bottle? That sounds stupid."
"Hey, I'm just saying what I heard!"
The Kamen Rider. Izuku's seen the rumors online, of a red and blue armored vigilante who's been going around and helping people from others whose Quirks went out of control. Thing is, no one's ever gotten photographic evidence, and heroes who've been on patrol have stated that they've never seen someone like that. Even some vigilantes stated that they haven't seen him. And that's not even going into how the Kamen Rider makes his gear, since it's all probably pretty pricey if the rumors were right about him using a motorcycle and some sort of weird drill-sword-gun contraption are true. As lunch ended, their homeroom teacher entered the classroom with a stack of papers.
"Alright, settle down, everyone!" he stated, as everyone returned to their seats. "Now, I know I'm supposed to be handing these career forms for you all to fill out today," he added, motioning to the papers he had just put on the desk. He grabbed them, and took a good look at the class for a second, before just tossing them into the air. "But why bother, you all want to be heroes, right!?"
The class erupted into cheers, as Izuku's classmates started activating and showing off their Quirks.
"Yes, you all have wonderful Quirks, but remember, we're in school! No using them in public! Please remember the school rules, everyone!"
As the cheering died down, there was a scoff near the back of the room. Izuku looked to his side, and saw his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo, smirking smugly. Izuku grimaced, and prepared for the incoming tirade.
"Hey teach! Don't lump me with the rest of these losers!" he shouted. "We all know that I'm the only one with a Quirk that isn't total garbage!
"Shut up, Bakugo! You're not that great!" one of them yelled, as others muttered in agreement.
"Well, since Bakugo's making himself the center of attention, I guess I'll mention that he's planning on applying to U.A.," the teacher said, to the astonishment of their classmates. "U.A.!?"
"That's the toughest Hero school in Touto!"
"Only the best of the best get in!"
"That's right, I'm in a different league than all of you extras!" Bakugo shouted, as he jumped onto the top of his desk. "I already aced the mock exam, so the real thing will be a piece of cake! I'm gonna get into U.A., then I'm gonna be the best Hero there is! No one, not even All Might himself can top me! Hell, I bet I could even break down that stupid Skywall no problem!"
"Oh, now that I think about it, the only other person who mentioned attending U.A. too is Midoriya..." the teacher said, trailing off a bit as he looked at Izuku. All eyes went onto him. Izuku's heart stopped beating as people began muttering.
"Really? Midoriya wants to go?"
"Probably not anymore, since he got kidnapped and all."
"Yea, he'd pass out at the written exam alone after that."
He didn't like this. He was just getting by the entire day without causing a scene, and now everyone was paying attention to him. All he wanted was to get school over with so he could start investigating what happened to him at that bridge.
"Deku!" Bakugo cried, jumping off his desk to slam his hands onto Izuku's, making it explode a bit thanks to his nitroglycerin sweat. "You really think you could make it into U.A. without a Quirk!? There's no possible way they'd let you in like that!"
"W-well they did start letting Quirkless students enter, so I don't-"
"Give it up, Deku! You're too weak! You couldn't even protect yourself from being kidnapped, you idiot!"
"Alright Bakugo, that's enough," the teacher said sternly, as Bakugo returned to his seat, glowering.
Izuku spent the rest of the class tense, as he wrote down notes and listened to the teacher, while jotting down questions and theories he had about his kidnapping in between, even drawing down the villains down as best he could. During it all, he'd take quick peeks at Bakugo, and sighed. He really wished their relationship hadn't turned into this. He and Bakugo used to be very close as children, but when it turned out that Bakugo had a Quirk and he didn't, their friendship turned sour. Nowadays Bakugo just looks at him with nothing but contempt, though Izuku genuinely still respected him. He wished that they could just go back to the days where they talked about heroes like All Might, go on expeditions and adventures through the woods, anything, honestly.
At the end of the school day, Izuku sighed and started packing up his books when one of his hero journals slipped and fell to the ground. Before he could pick it up, Bakugo snatched it.
"What's this? 'Hero Journal No. 13'? Come on, you're still writing this crap down?"
"G-give it back, Kacchan!"
"Or what? Gonna fight me?" Bakugo said, as he moved his hands to clap onto Izuku's journal to make it explode. "How you gonna do it? You-"
It all happened in a flash. Izuku leaped up from his desk, and gave Bakugo the hardest shove he could muster. To everyone's surprise, Bakugo was knocked off his feet, sending him flying into the desks behind him. In shock, Bakugo had released his grip on the journal, which fell towards Izuku's feet.
Everyone was frozen. No one had ever seen Izuku retaliate against Bakugo like that, let alone have such sudden monstrous strength. Izuku stood there, paralyzed with fear at the sudden realization at what he had done, staring at his former friend and the giant pile of desks he was laying in. Bakugo was paralyzed as well, though that was immediately replaced with a seething, unrelenting fury.
"DEEEEEKUUUU!" Bakugo screamed, his brow furrowed as sparks started to fly from his palms as he got up. Izuku didn't wait for Bakugo to keep talking, though. He swiped his journal off the ground, shoved it into his bag as quick as he could, and ran off, faster than anyone had ever seen him go.
"What the heck happened!?" he thought, passing by stunned student after stunned student. "How did I get so strong!? And fast!? What's going on!?"
As he began mumbling to himself, he grew more and more frustrated. He needed answers. He wanted answers. And if there's any place to start that, it'd be at that bridge again. "Out of my way, please!" he said, as he dodged people to make his way out.
"Out of my way, bastards!" a sludge-like man cried, rushing past person after person, his tentacle-like "arms" full of cash registers. One unfortunate man, an unassuming fellow with short black hair dressed in a striped t-shirt, jeans, and a large brown overcoat, was slapped to the side by one of his tendrils. "Move or I'll kill you!"
"Ow! Geez, what a jerk," the man said, rubbing his head. "Could've knocked my brain loose, and I need that."
"Don't worry citizen," a deep voice said behind him, as a large hand grasped his shoulder. The man looked back, and gasped, as he saw a large, intimidating blonde man standing near him. A man that anyone with a quarter of the size of his brain could recognize. "For I am here!"
The blonde man broke into a run after the sludge man, whose bulging eyes bulged out even further, leaving the man in the overcoat behind in the dust. "Holy crap... He's a lot bigger than I expected," he muttered, scratching his head. But something was a little off about him. How did he not notice him standing behind him like that? He was certain that when he was passing by that convenience store, that there wasn't anyone there that looked like him. As he began to grind the gears in his brain, a tuft of hair stuck out, before he patted it down.
"What am I doing!? I can't think about this now! I gotta get to the Institute for work!" he said, shaking his head. He looked around, making sure no one could see him, and he slunk into a nearby alleyway. The man pulled out a strangely-shaped cellphone, along with a small, equally strangely-shaped bottle from his pockets.
He inserted the bottle into a slot that was attacked to the back of the phone, and almost immediately, it grew in size, folding and unfolding itself until it changed into a motorcycle. He climbed onto the motorcycle, and pressed onto its screen, making it materialize a helmet that he put on his head.
"Well, can't let them wait for the genius scientist for too much longer, right?" he smugly stated himself, revving the engine and drove out of the alleyway.
Izuku had made it to the bridge quicker than he anticipated, in no part due to having just ran as fast as he possibly could to avoid Bakugo's explosive fury. He sighed. He respected Bakugo, with all of his heart. While... very abrasive, Bakugo's drive to become a hero was second to none. Not to mention that he really was one of the toughest guys that Izuku knew. He didn't mean to shove him so hard like that, and in front of so many of their classmates. No wonder he wanted to beat him up so bad.
Still, at least he could be consoled with the fact that he saved one of his Hero Journals, as he flipped through the pages. Admittedly, it wasn't nearly as full as he would've liked, mostly in part that he had missed a few days' worth of work in it thanks to his kidnapping (quite frankly he was amazed at the fact that his bag wasn't lost forever and that some kind soul returned it to his mother), but he wasn't about to let that deter him from resuming his observations, though now some of the pages were instead full of questions and theories about what happened. Some of which now involve his sudden increased strength and speed. How did that happen? When did that happen? How much of that dream was real? Were those really his kidnappers in his dream? And what did they do to him?
He began to scan the underpass of the bridge. He touched every crack on the wall, observed every pebble on the ground. Anything could be a clue about his kidnapping, anything at all. His eyes were glued to the walls and ceiling, so it was unfortunate that he didn't take the time to look at the manhole that was behind him.
"What am I looking for?" he muttered to himself, as strange sludge-like liquid began to ooze out from the holes and cracks of the manhole. "They couldn't have knocked me out with a chemical. They already checked for that... Maybe some sort of sleeping powder like Midnight? But there's no powder around... Maybe-"
"Thanks for the meatsuit, kid!" the sludge said. Izuku finally whipped around, and as soon as he did, the sludge man enveloped him, shoving himself into his mouth. "Don't bother struggling, it'll all be over soon!"
Crap, it's happening again. Another villain's taking him hostage. He can't believe it. Is this underpass just cursed for him? Definitely never going anywhere near it again, if that's the case. If there's ever an "again" for him, at least.
It wasn't fair. None of this was. Being born Quirkless, losing his friendships, and getting kidnapped, twice? He didn't know what happened for him to deserve this, but it wasn't right. The indignity of it all infuriated him. He struggled and struggled, as he futilely tried to pull the sludge man out of his throat. But it was getting him nowhere. With one, final attempt, he tried to give the sludge man one good, defiant slug to his eye. Surprisingly, he didn't miss, and in fact, forced a good scream out of him.
"Ow! Lucky punk! You're a lot tougher than I thought!" he grumbled, recoiling back a bit from the sudden pain in his eye. "But it's too late! I'm nearly finished, and I'll-"
"You'll what!?" a voice yelled, coming from the manhole. It was a familiar voice. Izuku had heard it thousands of times. But it couldn't be.
The manhole cover flew off, embedding itself into the ceiling above it. A large, muscular, blonde man with rabbit ear-like bangs jumped out of the sewer. "You'll do nothing, because I AM HERE!"
It was.
The Number One Hero. All Might. Though he wasn't dressed in his hero garb, just a plain white t-shirt and green pants. He was probably out shopping or something while off the clock.
"Shitshitshitshit!" the sludge man cried, raising his tendrils. But before he could do anything, All Might reared his mighty fist, before letting out a mighty cry. "TEXAS SMAAAAAASH!"
All Might punched the air in front of the sludge man, creating a gust of wind so powerful that he was being ripped apart by it. The sludge man struggled to keep his hold onto Izuku, but it was too much. With a cry of frustration, the sludge man dispersed into muddy puddles, too weakened by the attack to pull himself together. Izuku fell onto the ground, hard, as he moaned from the pain of it all.
The Number One Hero rushed to Izuku's side, picking him up and helping him on his feet. "Are you alright, my boy?" he asked, his deep voice gentle. "It was a good thing I made it in time."
"N-n-no worries, I'm fine," Izuku said, pulling up a smile, before immediately retching out the pieces of the sludge man that were still in his body. Plus whatever he had eaten that day. "I-I-I'm serious, totally fine."
"You're totally not! Here, drink this," All Might said, as he pulled out a couple of bottles from his pockets. "It's ginger ale, one of my favorite brands. Drink as much as you like."
Since it was being offered to him by his idol, Izuku gladly took one of the bottles and quickly downed it, stopping in between gulps to take a deep breath. "T-thank you for saving me, All Might! I-I-I-" he stuttered, as he handed the empty bottle back to All Might.
"Don't mention, my boy! After all, it is a hero's duty to save citizens!" All Might replied, ending his sentence with a hearty laugh. "Though I do wonder how I'll take this criminal back to the police..." he said under his breath, before looking at the empty bottle in his hand. "Ah! I'll just use this to store him! Thank you for your help, young man!"
"A-a-anytime, All Might!" Izuku said, as he bowed up and down nonstop while All Might scooped up as much of the sludge man as he could into the empty bottles. "W-w-will you please sign this for me!? I'm Izuku Midoriya, I'm one of your biggest fans, and I-"
"No problem! After all, you did just go through a perilous situation!" All Might said, grinning. As he flipped through the pages to find an empty spot, he saw all the notes Izuku had made in that journal. So many observations and ideas about heroism. It was quite inspirational, really. To think that someone like this could earnestly love heroes so much. But it was the last few pages where he stopped and really read through them.
They were questions, theories, and ideas, but not about heroes. They were instead about a kidnapping. His kidnapping.
"My boy," All Might said, his voice becoming soft. "Where you the one that had gone missing a few weeks ago?"
Izuku's nervous smile faded away, and replaced with a much sadder one. "Y-yea," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I was thinking that if I came back to this bridge to look for some clues myself, I'd find them, but I guess this place just has it out for me, huh?"
"My boy," All Might said, putting a gentle but firm grasp on Izuku's shoulders. "It'll be alright. I'm sorry that I wasn't here to help you in your time of need before, but I am certainly glad that I was here this time."
Izuku gasped as he heard All Might's words. In all of the interviews and shows All Might has done, he's never quite heard this sort of tone from him before. Usually he was loud and boisterous, as if he were challenging all those who'd cause chaos and pain to face him. But here? It was so reassuring, gentle, and kind. If he was speaking like that, maybe he could-
"I'm truly sorry that I couldn't help you before," All Might said, snapping Izuku back to reality as he handed him back his journal, complete with his signature. "But I assure you, you'll be fine now. For now, I have to take this criminal to the authorities. Take care, my boy!"
As All Might prepared to make a mighty jump to take the criminal elsewhere, Izuku's heart sank. He had so many more questions, so many things he needed to tell All Might. His quest for answers about the kidnapping can wait for a bit, right now there was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and he needed to take it. So without thinking, he latched onto All Might's leg, right before he jumped.
"Whoa whoa whoa! My boy, I understand that you're a big fan and that you've got many things to say to me, but this is a bit too much, even for me!" All Might said with an unflappable grin, looking down at his legs. "What are you thinking!?"
"I-I have so many things to ask you, to tell you! It's so much more than just what happened and that kidnapping! I-it's really important to me!" Izuku said, as the wind blew onto his face and through his hair. "Plus, if I let go right now, I'll fall to my doom!"
"Alright, I'll land on a rooftop and answer one more question, but that'll be it! I really do have to hurry!" All Might said, shaking his head. He really couldn't believe this; oh well, the things that fanboys will do, right? Though he couldn't linger on that thought too long, as a small trickle of blood started to flow down his cheek from his mouth.
"So did you catch Mii-tan's newest podcast? That was a pretty good segment," one of Bakugo's classmates said, as they walked into an alleyway. "Never thought I'd seriously consider about what would happen if you'd pit a turtle against a rabbit."
"Pffft, yea, that was pretty funny, though I've been just waiting for her to release a new song. She's a fantastic singer, not to mention super cute," another one said, looking down at his phone, watching said idol sing and dance. "What did you think about it, Bakugo?"
"Dammit, what the fuck happened back there!?" Bakugo muttered, ignoring their prattle as he practically ground his molars to dust. He kicked a bottle out of his way. "When the fuck did Deku get so damn strong!?"
He hated this. He hated everything about this. Ever since they were kids, Izuku had dreams that were far too big for him to have. What kind of helpless insect like him could ever think he could amount to anything? The bastard was a liability, no one would want a hero who couldn't help themselves like that. Especially if that hero was someone who got kidnapped just weeks ago.
"Yea, he got you pretty good with that shove," one of them replied, as he started to light a cigarette up. "Didn't know he had it in him."
"Not in him enough," the other snickered. "Dude practically pissed his pants after what he did."
"Yea, who knows? Maybe he will end up going to U.A., too."
"Shut it!" Bakugo growled, as a small explosion went off in his hands. "And stop smoking! If anyone catches when I'm around, it'll go on my record too, dumbass!"
Before anyone could say anything else, a huge shadow loomed over Bakugo. He turned around, and saw a giant sludge man staring down at him.
"Now that's a nice Quirk!" he laughed. "Mind if I take your body!?"
"Seriously, that was a very reckless thing to do," All Might said, chastising Izuku while he was catching his breath from his impromptu ride. "So, what is the question you need to ask me? It needs to be fast, and I-"
"Yes, um, I was thinking!" Izuku yelled, as he struggled to find the words he needed to say. It was hard to dig them out, to say the least. He had always thought about what he needed to say to All Might, though with recent events he nearly forgot about them. But right here, right now, he's going to take care of that weight that has been on his chest ever since he was four. Ever since he learned about his Quirklessness.
"C-can I become a hero, even without a Quirk!? All my life, I wanted to become a hero, just like you! Someone who could bring smiles to everyone he sees, that can protect everyone's peace, and who's fearless in the face of danger. But I... I was unlucky enough to be born without a Quirk. So, d-do you think, I could become a hero!?"
All Might took pause at what Izuku said. Something about those words seemed to resonate with him, as he thought deeply and considered the words that Izuku had said. Just before a big cloud of steam enveloped him. "Shit, I'm close to my limit!"
"A-All Might, are you alriIIIIIIIGHT!?" Izuku cried, as he looked on at his idol hero. When the steam cleared, where once stood a muscular giant of a man, now stood a man, almost skeletal in appearance, with straggly hair and clothes far too big for his body, his eyes were covered with shadows, with bags sagging underneath. "W-who are you!? What did you do with All Might!?"
The man looked at Izuku, his face nearly unreadable. "I am All Might," he said, as a small waterfall of blood trickled out of his mouth, freaking Izuku out. "Okay, um, you know how there are guys at pools who'll suck in their gut to look more buff? That's what I do, sort of."
"Seriously!?" Izuku said, still processing what was going on. All Might shook his head and sighed, clearly disappointed at having his secret revealed. "All right, I'll let you in on a secret, but this better stay between us, is that clear? Only a few people know about my condition, and I can't let others see me like this or hear about it."
All Might pulled up his shirt, and what Izuku saw made him want to vomit all over again. All Might's abdomen was a mess of stitches and scar tissue, discolored and disfigured from what appeared to be from multiple surgeries. "About five years ago, I got into a big battle with a powerful villain who gave me this wound. Lost parts of my stomach, a lung, basically my respiratory and digestive systems are pretty much shot. The amount of surgeries I had to get and their aftereffects basically caused my body to waste away, to the point where I'm only really able to work for three hours a day."
"No way... Wait, was it the fight against the Toxic Chainsaw?"
"Heh, you sure know your stuff. Nah, as if that punk could do anything to me. The guy who did was in a league of his own, and the only reason why I got away with my life, was because I managed to hit him as hard as he hit me."
"So is he-"
"Hopefully. That's the sad truth, young man," All Might said, wistfully. "Sometimes, to stop a villain, you gotta go all out, no holding back. Otherwise too many people would get hurt. But some good doing that did."
"What are you talking about, All Might? You're the Number One Hero! You're the Symbol of Peace, wherever you go, people feel-" Izuku said, only to be interrupted by All Might's harsh laugh. It was nothing like the boisterous laughter he was famous for, but one of bitterness and pain.
"'Number One Hero'? 'The Symbol of Peace'? Haven't heard that particular one for some time, thanks to that," he muttered, pointing to the Skywall and its ever present red glow. "Even before I took out that villain, the Skywall tore down everything I worked for up to that point. You know what they call me over at the other sides? 'The Symbol of Touto', 'Touto's Mightiest Hero', 'Touto's Peace', Touto this, Touto that. I tried getting permits that allowed me to work in Seito and Hokuto too, but I kept getting turned down. And for all that fame and presence I had, I couldn't get the Prime Ministers or any government officials to agree to unite into one country again. In the end, all I got to show for my efforts are three broken countries, and this wound that'll never truly go away."
"But even still, a Symbol of Peace, or anything of the sort, who saves people with a smile, can never be daunted by the likes of evil. The reason I smile nowadays is so I can push back against the fear and pressure I feel as a hero, especially with that wall hanging around. Pro heroes have to put everything on the line, and being Quirkless? I don't think it's possible."
Izuku slumped to the floor. That spark of hope he had about achieving his dreams vanished into thin air once again. He clutched his heart, which threatened to burst out of his rib cage as despair began to overcome him. At least, until he remembered what happened earlier that day.
"Wait... what if I told you that I did get a Quirk? At least, recently?"
"... Come again?"
"Y-yea... come to think of it, ever since I got kidnapped, I had been feeling weird... it didn't occur to me until today, after I accidentally knocked a classmate into some desks... But I've suddenly gotten super strong and super fast... Maybe... Maybe something that my kidnappers did gave me a Quirk! If I got-"
In the middle of speaking, Izuku noticed All Might's face. His expression became grimmer, as if he saw some sort of ghost. His fists trembled, as if something about what Izuku said terrified him.
"Young man," All Might finally said, struggling to push out the words from his mouth. "Did you happen to have a good look at your kidnappers? What did they look like?"
Izuku was taken back. This situation kept swerving in and out of so many places at once, it was difficult to really keep up. "W-well, honestly, the most I've got is this dream. I think it's related to my kidnapping, but well... There were these weird scientists in white hazmat suits, and I saw their bosses, I think... One was dressed like a bat, another like a cobra... And the third one was like, dressed as a spanner? I don't get the last one, but that's who were in my dream... Wait, do you think you know my kidnappers?"
All Might sighed, both out of relief, and disappointment. "Sorry, my boy, I was worried for a second that I knew who had taken you, but the people you described? I'm not familiar with them. I do remember seeing your drawings of them though while flipping through your journal. That's a decent lead, so I'll keep an eye out for them."
All Might gave Izuku a reassuring pat on the shoulder, shaking his head. "Well, in any case, I feel like there's a lot for you to think about. Just be aware that whatever those villains did to you, it might not be permanent. But for now, I have to get going. Take care, young man."
As All Might climbed down the stairs, Izuku stayed on the floor, as he tried to hold back tears. This day had been the worst roller coaster of his life. For one moment, he thought that All Might could've told him he could do it, become a hero. That it'd be a matter of just putting his all into it. But the best of the best said it himself. Without a Quirk, he couldn't be a hero. And like All Might said, this sudden burst of strength and speed? It might not even be permanent, so he can't rely on that power. When he heard the stairway door click, a torrent of tears flowed down his face.
This day couldn't possibly get any worse.
All Might's day got worse the minute he stepped out of the building
"Alright, now to get this guy to Tsukauchi and-" he said to himself, checking his empty pockets. He froze. His empty pockets. Before he could say anything else, he saw an explosion go off a few blocks away, as horror crept onto him.
"No...," he muttered, as he rushed down the street. Despite losing much of his strength and power in his thin form, he was still quite a good runner. One that was missing a lung, mind you. So it was no surprise that by the time he made it to the area of the explosion, he was out of breath.
The scene was unbearable. The captured sludge man had gotten out of his confinement, and now had some other kid as a hostage, using what he assumed was the boy's Quirk to make explosions. Fires were everywhere, the road was torn apart, broken Guardians laid near the sludge man's feet, and pro heroes were doing everything else but stopping the sludge man.
"Sorry, but my wood Quirk's useless against this guy! I'll keep the civilians out!" All Might recognized that hero, he was that newcomer, Kamui Woods. He was carrying as many civilians in the branches coming out of his arms as he rushed out of the area.
"This is a single lane street! I'm too big for this!" That was another newcomer, Mt. Lady. All Might saw her struggling to get past two buildings, but like she said, she was too large to get through.
"These fires can't put themselves out! I'll take care of these until the firemen arrive!" Backdraft, a firefighter-esque hero, said, as he doused the flames the sludge man was making with his explosions.
"Dammit, none of our Quirks work against this guy! If only I had one that was strong enough to blow him away!" Death Arms, a muscular man whose gear was painted like construction vehicles, said, clutching his fist tightly as the sludge man rampaged with wild abandon.
All Might grasped at his aching scars on his chest. He should've been more vigilant. He was careless. It was all his fault. He couldn't bring himself to blame poor Midoriya, he didn't mean to take up any of his time like that. He had been going through so much, and he already felt bad enough about ruining his dreams of being a hero.
"Dammit, what can I do!?"
Izuku sighed as he walked down the streets after he finally calmed down long enough to go downstairs. He couldn't blame All Might for what he said. It was time that he accepted the truth that's always been in his face. There was no heroic career paths for someone without a Quirk like him.
There was a time where he entertained the thought of becoming a Quirkless hero, but after he plugged in the numbers of how much money he'd need for equipment, maintenance for said equipment, and healthcare in the case that he'd get injured in fights (which would probably be often, considering how it'd be stacked against him), he realized that the only way that was happening was to suddenly become a billionaire with incredible disposable welfare. So that was definitely out of the question for a kid with a stay-at-home mother and a father working overseas.
As he absentmindedly walked down the street, he saw a big commotion on the other side. "Oh, a villain attack. I guess I'll go see it... What am I even doing anymore? I'm Quirkless, I got kidnapped, possibly experimented on, and my idol told me that I couldn't be a hero without a Quirk. I should just move on-"
Izuku froze when he finally saw the villain. It was the sludge man from before. The bottle containing him must've dropped out of All Might's pocket when he latched onto his leg. And he had a hostage too, just like what he did to Izuku. A hostage who had a very familiar explosive Quirk.
"Kacchan!? Oh no, he got him! This is all my fault!" he thought, as people muttered about where All Might could be, since he had been seen chasing the sludge man earlier. "If I hadn't grabbed his leg when he jumped, he wouldn't have lost him! And I wasted his remaining time, too! Don't worry, someone will come to stop him. Someone will come to save Kacchan-"
For the briefest moment, Izuku and Bakugo locked eyes with each other. And in that brief moment, Izuku saw the terror and pain in Bakugo's eyes.
His feet sprung to action, as he leaped out of the crowd towards his former friend, stunning everyone present, heroes included.
"What's that kid doing!?" Death Arms cried out, as the heroes start rushing forward, though Izuku's speed was unprecedentedly fast. "He's gonna get himself killed!"
"Him again!?" the sludge man muttered, scowling as he prepared to let out some more explosions. Bakugo could only let out a garbled "Deku!?" as he saw him running towards him.
"What am I doing!?" Izuku thought, as he rushed forward. "What should I do!?"
As he thought back to when the sludge man had him, he remembered that he had smacked him in the eye and he temporarily lost some control from the strike. So he took his backpack off, and tossed it right into the sludge man's face. The impact struck him right in the eye, and as he screamed, he recoiled, allowing Bakugo some time to breath, right as Izuku landed onto them and desperately clawed at the sludge covering him.
"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" he growled, as Izuku kept clawing and clawing. "I don't need your help!"
"I'm sorry!" Izuku replied, as tears streamed down his face. Air kept moving in and out of his lungs, his heart beating 80 miles per second. His arms trembled, but he kept going. "B-b-but when I saw your eyes, all I could think of... was how scared you were, and I needed to help!"
"Stoooop!" Bakugo screamed, as he began to recede back into the sludge man.
"Stupid bastard, die!" the sludge man cried out, regaining his composure, and to release one more explosion. If it weren't for the fact that All Might's large hand grabbed both Bakugo's and Izuku's hands.
"How foolish of me, to not practice what I preach," he said, as everyone laid eyes onto him. "And to think, I had chastised you about this earlier today. What good is a hero, who doesn't put everything on the line!?"
He pulled Bakugo and Izuku free from the sludge man, and with his free hand, raised it to the skies, and let out a mighty cry.
"DETRIOT SMAAAAAAAASH!"
He slammed his hand to the ground, the air around him bursting so hard and fast that the sludge man scattered everywhere, letting out one final scream before losing consciousness. The clouds gathered, as rain began to pour down on the city.
"I can't believe it! The air pressure from his punch changed the weather!"
"That's the Number One Hero of Touto for you!"
"Man, what I wouldn't give to get a super strong Quirk like that!"
Izuku sat on the ground, looking up at All Might. Despite what had happened earlier today, All Might really pulled through. While this would've been relieving, he knew that if it weren't for him, this whole situation wouldn't have happened in the first place. He sighed, and laid down on the ground, tired beyond belief.
It took a while, but the heroes managed to gather every single droplet of the sludge man from the ground and buildings in large trash bags, handing over it all to the police. And as expected, Izuku was being reprimanded for his recklessness, while Bakugo was being praised for his bravery and strength.
"That was a dangerous thing you did, kid! There's a reason that you have to let pro heroes save people!"
"Wow boy, you've got one strong Quirk! When you graduate, come to my agency, we'll take you on as a sidekick, no doubt about it!"
Izuku couldn't blame them, what he did was a pretty idiotic move on his part. Still, he had to do something, he couldn't just let Bakugo suffer like that. But before they could keep scolding him, the air of chatter of bystanders and reporters fell silent when a gunshot echoed. Everyone stood still, looking for the source, when a strange gaseous bullet flew through the air. It weaved in and out of the crowd, dodging every single person as it made its way to its target.
Bakugo.
"Kacchan!" Izuku cried, seeing the bullet hit Bakugo squarely in the chest. Instead of metal shrapnel, the bullet exploded into a cloud of gas, enveloping Bakugo.
"The hell is this shit!?" he cried out, as he swung his arms wildly. "Get it off me! Get it off-"
Bakugo's voice became a low growl, and the cloud dissipated. Where the spiky ash-blond boy once stood, was now a being unlike anyone has ever seen. The gas had turned Bakugo into some strange robotic-like creature. From head to toe, his flesh had turned into a strange metallic armor-like skin, his fingers now had blowtorch-like openings on the tips, his palms each having a strange exhaust ports. His head was now shaped like a strange airplane cockpit-like helmet, his chest had four odd small openings, and some sort of jetpack was now resting on his back.
No one, not even mutant-type Quirks, had ever looked as strange as this.
As quickly as he transformed, Bakugo started rampaging, setting explosions one after another, running into the panicking crowd. "What the hell happened!?" Death Arms said, as he and the other heroes rushed in to restrain the now-monstrous Bakugo. "Is this some new form of Trigger!?"
"I've never heard about Trigger transformations being this drastic!" a caped hero said, struggling to hold back one of Bakugo's arms. Bakugo let out a monstrous cry, and to everyone's shock, small missiles started to fly out of the holes in his chest. "Especially one that give people entirely new abilities!"
Bakugo swung the heroes off of him, before firing off more explosions onto them, knocking them to their feet. All Might leaped over the crowd of reporters, and caught Bakugo in a tight bear hug.
"My boy, stop this madness! I know you're better than this!" he said, as Bakugo struggled within his grasp, before letting off another powerful explosion into All Might's left side. He cringed, and in the split second he went to hold his pained wound, Bakugo freed himself, setting off more explosions and firing more small missiles.
"Kacchan, please, stop!" Izuku pleaded, as he stepped towards the rampaging boy. "All Might's right, you are better than this! Out of everyone I've ever met, you've never backed down! You always stood your ground! This isn't you! So please, calm down so we can figure out what's going on!"
Bakugo froze, as if he was considering what Izuku said, before immediately raising his hand. Before he could let out an explosion right into Izuku's face, a man jumped from one of the buildings, kicking Bakugo right in the face. After landing on the ground, the man stood up, letting all those around have a good look at who he was.
The man was wearing strange armor that was divided into red and blue diagonal stripes, with his undersuit being black with similar diagonal lines. On the top of the left of his chest armor rested a red triangular bar with a blue tank-like barrel underneath it. His right arm was red, while his left arm was blue; whereas it was the opposite for his legs. His right foot appeared to have a tank thread of sorts, while a white spring-like structure covered his left shin. On his waist was a yellow belt with a strange black device with a hand crank, with a pair of bottles inserted in it, one red and shaped like a rabbit, the other blue and shaped like a tank. What was very peculiar was his helmet. Instead of a regular visor, his helmet has eyes. Mismatched eyes. His right eye was shaped like a blue tank, while his left eye was shaped like a red rabbit's head.
There was no doubt about it. This was the Kamen Rider.
"Thanks for keeping him occupied, but I'll take care of the rest from here," the Kamen Rider said, his voice clearly modulated to hide his identity. The Kamen Rider dusted his hands off, before a set of tubes moved out of his belt to create (or summon?) a strange weapon that appeared to be a sword, drill, and gun all at once. "Time for my public debut!"
Bakugo charged towards the Kamen Rider, small explosions going off in his hands. The Kamen Rider, undeterred by this, simply raised his weapon above his head, the blade spinning, and brought it down onto Bakugo, causing sparks to fly.
"Stop! Don't hurt him!" Izuku cried, as Bakugo staggered back. "Something's wrong with him, that gas bullet-"
"Don't worry, I know what's going on. I'll get him back to normal," the Kamen Rider said, as he followed up with a punch. "Thing is, I gotta weaken him first by fighting him, otherwise I can't."
Bakugo growled, and a volley of missiles began to fly out of his chest. The Kamen Rider dodged each of them, though the last one managed to knock him off his feet.
"Oof, that one was a bit tough. Hm, let's try out this," he said, pulling out the bottles from his belt. He switched the red bottle for a green turtle-shaped one, giving them a little shake before twisting the caps open, and inserted them into the belt. What surprised Izuku was that the belt spoke.
"Turtle! Tank! Are you ready?"
The Kamen Rider grasped the hand crank on his belt device, and started to rotate it, strange music playing out of his belt. When he finished, he announced, "Build up!", and the red of his armor was replaced with green. His left eye was now shaped like a turtle, and a large turtle shell-like shield was now on top of his shoulder. Bakugo roared again, and launched another series of missiles. The Kamen Rider stood there, but before any of them landed on him, he moved his right hand, and a shell-like energy barrier formed in front of it, absorbing all of the explosions.
"Hm, this barrier ability is good, but it definitely needs the Best Match to really make it shine," the Kamen Rider muttered to himself, as Bakugo made for another charge. He curled his left hand into a fist, blue energy filling it, before letting it out in one powerful punch. "Tank's power is a bit weaker, too. And I feel way too heavy with this big shell on my right arm. I guess RabbitTank is the winning formula, after all."
He pulled out the bottles again, and swapped the green one for the red one once more. He shook the bottles again, though this time, strange giant science and math equations started to float from behind him, pushing Bakugo back. After twisting the caps once again, he inserted them back into his belt and cranked it, but the belt's announcement this time was unique. And instead of the colors simply swapping, tubes formed from the belt, turning into runners that formed the Kamen Rider's armor.
"Rabbit! Tank! Best Match! Are you ready?! The Moonsault of Steel! RabbitTank! Yeahhh!"
The runners slammed onto him, the green on his armor turning red once more. He held his weapon once more, but he pulled the blade off, and reinserted it into the handle, turning it into a gun. The Kamen Rider pulled out another bottle, this time a white one shaped like a refrigerator, and inserted it into his weapon, which, like his belt, made an announcement.
"Ready go! Vortex Break!"
He pointed his gun at Bakugo, and fired a stream of cold air. When it made contact with him, ice began to form over him, immobilizing him in place. Once Bakugo was completely frozen, the Kamen Rider began to crank his belt once more, though this time for much longer.
"One moment, please," he said, before running off in the opposite direction, much to everyone's shock.
"You bastard! Get back here!" Death Arms cried out, right before the Kamen Rider jumped up a bit before landing and falling into a hole. Before anyone could process what was happening, a pillar shot out of the ground where the Kamen Rider was, with him on top.
"Ready, go! Vortex Finish!"
And a giant sloping graph formed, pinning Bakugo in it and shattering the ice he was stuck in. The Kamen Rider leaped off the pillar, and slid down the graph, gaining more and more speed before landing a powerful kick on Bakugo, causing him to explode.
Bakugo was sent flying back, landing hard onto the ground. But he was too weak to get back up, as any attempt he made to stand up just made him collapse. Once again, the Kamen Rider pulled out another bottle, but unlike the others, this one had a more simple shape, looking more identical to a regular water bottle. He twisted the cap open, and pointed it at the fallen Bakugo. He began to glow yellow, particles of light flowing into the bottle. When the light fully disappeared, Bakugo had turned to normal, and the Kamen Rider closed the cap, though the bottle was now bulbous, and now had a red tint to it. Bakugo breathed heavily, grasping his chest as if he had just ran a marathon.
"Ugh, what happened?" he muttered, as he started to get back up.
"There we go," the Kamen Rider said, storing the bottle away. "No need to thank me, just doing my duty."
"As what!?" Death Arms said, as he and the other pro heroes surrounded him. "A vigilante beating up a civilian!? The hell are you supposed to be!?"
"The Kamen Rider," he replied curtly, with a shrug. "Though it's actually Build. Hm... Kamen Rider Build, I like the sound of that, don't know why I didn't put them together before..."
"Well, whatever you are, you're going the station! Unauthorized hero work is a huge offense, buddy!" Death Arms said, cracking his knuckles, all of the pro heroes closing in on him slowly. "So just come with us peacefully, and answer a few questions."
"Ooooh, as much as I like the sound of that, I got to get going," Build said, his hands on his hips and shaking his head. The white spring on his leg glowed red, and he leaped out from the circle, before anyone could grab him, and landed on a nearby rooftop. Bakugo regained his composure, and screamed at him, "Hey! Come back here, you bastard!"
He positioned his hands downwards, ready to send himself flying after him. But he couldn't. He tried again, but no explosions came from his hand. "What the-!? What the hell happened!? Why can't I use my Quirk!?"
"By the way, you're gonna be experiencing some temporary Quirk loss after turning back to normal," Build said, offhandedly. "Don't worry, the longest it'll last is like, two, three days tops. Later!"
Before anyone could say any more, the Kamen Rider continued to hop from roof to roof, too fast for anyone to catch.
"Don't worry, I'll go after him!" All Might said, as he jumped to follow him. Everyone was left dumbfounded, though Bakugo was much more infuriated than anything. Izuku, on the other hand, was left with so many more questions.
That was unlike any sort of Quirk he'd ever seen before. In fact, it was so unlike any Quirk he's ever seen, that it had to be like, some sort of super science that he's never seen before. The Kamen Rider- er, Build- did so many fantastical things in that short fight. Changing forms, using different powers, turning Bakugo back to normal, it was incredible. But something about the bottles seemed... familiar. He didn't know why, or how, but he felt like he had seen them before.
Could Build have a connection to his kidnappers? Certainly, the gas bullet that hit Bakugo reminded him of the gas that he was doused with in his dream. Build's appearance didn't have any similarity to the lead kidnappers, though his mismatched eyes did sort of resemble their visors... There were so many questions, and it seemed like the only one who could answer them was the Kamen Rider himself.
It was some time after the fight, and Izuku had been walking down the neighborhood. The news reporters had surrounded Bakugo and the remaining pro heroes, hounding them each with question after question about what happened. Izuku was lucky enough to slink away undetected, since he wasn't the victim of two successive villain attacks like Bakugo was.
"Just what is going on..." he thought to himself, as he racked his brain over everything that happened today. "First I find out All Might's secret, made him drop that criminal, let that criminal capture Bakugo, and then someone shot him with a gas bullet that turned him into a rampaging monster. I just wanted to find-"
"Young Midoriya!" All Might said, popping out from one of the side alleys between the houses. Izuku yelped in surprise, as he stared at his hero once again.
"A-A-All Might!? But why are you here!? I thought you were chasing the Kamen Rider!" Izuku stammered, falling backwards.
"Indeed I was, but unfortunately, he really was fast!" All Might said, laughing a bit, before coughing up blood and turning back to his skinnier self. "But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about you."
"Oh... well, I'm sorry again for what I did," Izuku said, as he cast his eyes away from All Might. "I really messed up, I know, but-"
"My boy, we all make mistakes," All Might said, interrupting him. "Just like today, I made the mistake of telling you that you can't be a hero. And for that, I'm sorry."
"W-what do you mean?" Izuku said, looking up.
"I mean that you have what it takes. I saw what you did there. You sprung to action to save your friend when no one else could. Of all the people there, the one person who was Quirkless and timid was the only one who acted! And you spurred me into action once again!"
"Many of the top heroes showed signs of greatness even as children, many of them claimed that their bodies just moved before they could think! Young man, I believe that, out of everyone I've seen, that you, are truly hero material!"
Izuku's chest felt heavy. He couldn't believe it. All Might apologized for telling him the truth. But this time, he was telling him that he had what it takes. To be a hero. That was everything that he wanted. Still, he couldn't let himself enjoy this relief. Not after what had happened.
"B-but how!? I have no Quirk, those other pro heroes, they were telling the truth!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. "How can I truly help others, when I don't have the power to do it!? I was kidnapped so recently, too! I'm too powerless to do anything!"
"Which is why I deem you worthy of inheriting mine."
"W-what!?"
Izuku stared at All Might, trying to process what he had just said.
"I said, I deem you worthy of inheriting my power. I want you to be my successor, Midoriya," All Might said, smiling.
"I-inherit!? But how!? Quirks are hereditary! There's no way-"
"Oh, but there is. You see, my Quirk is unlike any other in the world. It is one that can be passed down, master to student! Each one polishes this Quirk, refining it until they pass it on to the next! I am the eighth holder, and I've chosen you, Midoriya, to be the ninth."
"But I- well, it's true that the nature of your Quirk has always been a mystery, and there are a lot of theories as what it could be, since you've always kept it a secret, but to think it's something as big as this, that it can be passed on, it's incredible, I don't-"
"Whoa, ease up on the muttering there, my boy," All Might said, as Izuku snapped back to reality. "Yes, it's true, I've always deflected or changed the subject whenever my Quirk comes up. I have to, since the nature of it has to be kept a secret, since the world needs to think that the Symbol of Peace is a natural-born hero."
"The Quirk I will pass on to you, is known, as One for All."
"One for All..." Izuku muttered, letting the name of All Might's mysterious Quirk roll off his tongue.
"Now don't go thinking that I'll give this power over so easily," All Might clarified, looking at him. "As you are right now, the power would be way too much. The next ten months or so will be very busy and tough for you. We'll need to train you so you can handle it. Otherwise, you might just explode."
"Explode!?" Izuku said, before forcing himself to calm down. He thought it over. This is his chance. He's always wanted to be a hero, and a chance like this, a chance like this doesn't come by again. "... I'll do it. I'll become your successor."
"Fantastic, Midoriya my boy! You'll be a great hero, no doubt," All Might said, putting a reassuring hand on Izuku's shoulder. Izuku smiled, though a bit more sadly this time.
"Do you think we'll have time to figure out what happened to me when I was kidnapped while we train? Or what happened to Bakugo?" he asked, hoping that this big question of his will be answered too. All Might put a hand to his chin thoughtfully, pondering on what he could say.
"Well, of course. Solving your mystery is just as important, my boy," All Might said, finally reaching a conclusion. "Plus, you did theorize that whatever those people did to you, that it might've given you enhanced strength and speed, so you might plow through the workout I'm planning with more ease than without anything at all. I also want to answer a few questions myself, so this can work out."
"I have to go now, my boy. Meet me tomorrow morning at Dagobah Beach, that is when we'll start training. You're on your way to become a fantastic hero, Midoriya, take pride in that."
Izuku wiped the tears on his face with his sleeve. He couldn't believe his luck. From a mediocre morning, to an awful afternoon, all leading up to a fantastical evening. And All Might said it himself, he'll not only help him become a great hero, but he'll help him figure out the mystery of his kidnapping. Things were definitely looking up for him.
"Can you tell me why you did that, Bolt?" an armored man said, looking at his cohort. This man was dressed in black, with pipes protruding from his silver armor. A yellow bat insignia rested on his chest, his visor matching it. "We were doing so well in secret, too."
"Hmph, it was to test the long range Nebula Gas injection capabilities of the Transteam Gun's rifle mode, of course," his ally replied, crossing his arms. He was dressed in gray, with black armor with pipes that formed a backpack-like device on his back, and a blue spanner that formed his chest insignia and visor. "As you can tell, Rogue, it's working perfectly. Now we don't need to depend on using the Nebula Chamber to test Nebula Gas compatibility."
"The Nebula Chamber is the most reliable way of testing compatibility and raising Hazard Levels, we won't just use the Transteam Gun recklessly, especially when the first target you used it on turned into a Smash. You can use that particular function however you like, but we'll still use the Nebula Chamber as the primary source of testing."
"You're being foolishly, Rogue," Bolt said, dismissively. "We can't keep relying on just the Nebula Chamber. We have to use other ways of injecting Nebula Gas into people. Especially since it looks like you're gonna have to upgrade it to a larger size soon."
Bolt walked off, his arms crossed. Rogue growled, and returned his attention to the Nebula Chamber, as his scientists tried to shove in a tall boy with six arms into the box, clearly struggling to fit him in. He punched two of them away, but they eventually got him inside, though it was definitely very cramped for him, unlike previous test subjects.
"Tch... He was right about the chamber," Rogue said, as the Nebula Gas flowed into the chamber, watching the boy writhing around, before he began his transformation into a surprisingly more manageable-sized Smash. "Should've gotten a bigger box for mutant-types."
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- I'm going with a broad strokes sort of writing with this story. Because of Build's nature as a series that only lasts a year and My Hero Academia's nature as a series that's still ongoing, Build's events are gonna be stretched out a bit to fit MHA. That's not to say that there's gonna be a divergence in where this goes, though. Like Sento having a job before the series rather than getting it in the first episode.
- One of the things that I wish was a bit more of a focus is the Fullbottle collecting in Build. Since we don't really get that, I'm gonna go ahead and do it for this fic in particular. In this story, he collects more of them, though not all of them, since a few were already made. In addition, we're gonna see more Trial Forms and Best Matches before they become irrelevant. For the most part, I'll be making up some new abilities based on the Fullbottles, considering we never really get to see the full extent of them (thanks you Toei for cheaping out on special effects).
- The biggest reason why I thought Build would be a good season to crossover with is that I think that the powers work in that season might provide an interesting interaction with the Quirks in MHA.
- I'm gonna preemptively state that I'm not gonna use any of Build's crossover movies. That means no previous Riders appearing, sorry. I am open to giving Kaisei Mogami an appearance, but if I do, his story's gonna have to be overhauled and the like.
- If this seems rushed and all, it essentially is. I want to get the first couple arcs of MHA out of the way so I can focus on original chapters and working on integrating the worlds better. Plus, there's just not that many ways to really, you know, change them, and a majority of the crossover fanfictions I've seen basically play it out similarly to the canon.
- I'll probably come up with more unique titles for chapters later or on the suggestion of others, as long as the chapter titles deal with the chapter's contents, of course.
- Despite the relationship tags, I'm not necessarily gonna go all in on writing like, pairings or whatnot. That's not really my thing, doing shipping and junk. If I feel like doing a pairing, I'll do it. Otherwise, don't expect too much romance here. I'm definitely having Ryuga and Kasumi as a pairing, though, since that's important.
NEW NOTES:
- So this is my second fanfic on , but my first one from AO3. I've been updating it over there, but I decided to also upload it here. It's also on if you use that too.
- I'm gonna be copy and pasting the AO3 version onto without editing them and whatnot, so it'll be the same consistently on all websites I'm using. Will I edit them all eventually? Maybe. Will I retcon things when I feel it's necessary? Maybe.
- The newest chapter is Ch.9, so that will have the newest up-to-date notes.